Teeing off the 9th hole, and on the first shot of the day, Don hit an 8-iron a few inches beyond the stick and backed it in the hole. The opposition never recovered, and Don and his partner won the day’s match.

The relay involved three segments, providing an Olympic-style course through various sections of Philadelphia: 1.5K swim, 40K bike and10K run.

When the dust settled, the team took 8th place in their division and 13th overall in relay teams out of 53.

Named for Hawthorne K. Dent, who founded the General Insurance Company of America (Safeco’s predecessor), the society recognizes and rewards excellence among independent insurance agents. Excellence is defined and demonstrated by superior underwriting (profit), effective business acumen (growth) and unstinting loyalty (size and tenure).

Bobby Rodriguez, CBC, PAHM of Allentown has joined Miers Insurance as an Employee Benefit Account Executive.

Formerly associated with BR Consulting and Capital Blue Cross, Bobby brings to Miers Insurance his expertise in group medical insurance and alternative employee benefit solutions.

The Rigg Darlington Group, based in Exton, PA, becomes the newest member of The Insurance Alliance of Central Pennsylvania. The Rigg Darlington Group has offices in Exton and Wyomissing.

According to Jane Koppenheffer, CPCU, The Alliance’s President and CEO, “The Rigg Darlington Group was formed in January, 2001 by means of the merger of the Joseph A. Rigg Insurance Agency and the Darlington Insurance Agency – the roots of these agencies can be traced back to 1917. The agency is noted for its professionalism, integrity, and client focus. These values are a great match with those of The Alliance, and we are excited to have them joining us as our tenth member.”

Robert Rigg, CPCU, CIC, CLU, President of the Rigg Darlington Group, noted “The Insurance Alliance will enhance the ability of our agency to both grow in our community and offer a wider breadth of insurance companies and products for our clients.”

The 2009 Personal Lines Carrier of the Year went to Donegal Insurance. Donegal was ranked first in the categories of Best Overall Personal Lines Carrier, Underwriting Responsiveness, Competitiveness, Ease of Doing Business, Quality Products, Automation Capabilities and Billing and Customer Service. Three-year growth, favorable loss ratio and hard work in addressing the needs of personal lines customers all were cited as factors in the voting. The award was presented by Alliance Board Chairman Don Wert, and accepted by Rick Kelley, Senior VP, Sales and Business Development for Donegal.

The Cincinnati Insurance Companies earned the 2009 Commercial Lines Carrier of the Year award by placing first in the categories of Best Overall Commercial Lines Carrier, Underwriting Expertise, Responsiveness, Competitiveness, Ease of Doing Business, and Quality Products. Premium and new business growth over the past three years were also cited, along with risk management expertise and professionalism. The award was accepted by Bill Clevidence, Assistant Vice President for Sales and Marketing.

See all the photos of Connections 2009 on our Flickr page.

Brian Buskirk of Zinn Insurance took home the Next Generation Producer of the Year award.

Commercial Lines Producer of the Year honors were awarded to Ryan Amey of Sterner Insurance.

New to Accellerations this year was a drawing for the $4,000 grand prize. Each of the producers who earned the monthly top producer award were entered in the contest, and Ryan, as the top overall producer, earned three chances. When the drawing was complete and the smoke cleared, John Eltringham of Hampson Mowrer Kreitz was left holding the check.

The Alliance Personal Lines Agency of the Year award for 2009 was shared by co-winners Hutchison Insurance and Miers Insurance.

American Insurance Administrators took home The Alliance Commercial Lines Agency of the Year designation for 2009.

See all the photos of Connections 2009 on our Flickr page.

The day opened with an audience participation led by Alliance President and CEO Jane Koppenheffer. Each table, after a period of discussion, had the opportunity to vote on questions about the insurance industry, the economy and The Alliance, with results displayed for all to see.

An Exhibit Hall session followed, where carrier attendees staffed their company booths, and Alliance staff could interact in an informal atmosphere to discus business, products, programs and more.

Lunch featured Rick Russell, the President and CEO of Insurance Agents and Brokers, and the event wrapped up with the presentation of awards to the winners of Accellerations, The Alliance’s sales contest, including Personal and Commercial Lines Producer of the Year, as well as the annual Connections awards and Personal and Commercial Carrier of the Year Awards.

See all the photos of Connections 2009 on our Flickr page.

Along with Carolyn Morris, the Director of the Bureau of Consumer Services of the Pennsylvania Insurance Department, Jim fielded questions from host Craig Cohen as well as live listener calls about auto insurance, annuities, the Assigned Risk program, flood, health, insurance company interactions and more.

The recorded program is available for online listening at the WITF web site.